Killing Floor 3 Release Date Postponed to Later in 2025 After Disappointing Closed Beta

The much-anticipated survival horror co-op FPS, Killing Floor 3, has faced a significant setback with its release date now pushed back to later in 2025. This decision comes in the wake of a disappointing closed beta test, just three weeks before its original launch date. Let's delve into the details surrounding this announcement.

Killing Floor 3 Delayed For Later 2025 Release

Cites Disastrous Beta Test Phase

Image from Killing Floor 3’s official Bluesky account

On March 7th, 2025, Tripwire Interactive, the developers behind Killing Floor 3, made a significant announcement on the game's official Bluesky account. They revealed that the eagerly awaited survival horror co-op shooter would not meet its initial March 25th launch date. Instead, it's been postponed to an unspecified date later in 2025, following feedback from a recent closed beta that fell short of expectations.

In their Bluesky post, Tripwire explained, "We’ve made the decision to postpone Killing Floor 3’s launch to an undecided date later in 2025. After taking the time to gather and discuss feedback from our recent closed beta, we’ve realized that we missed the mark. Our goal isn’t just to make Killing Floor 3 an ambitious step forward for the franchise, but also to maintain the core experience that you’ve come to know and love." The team is now focusing on addressing critical issues highlighted during the beta, including "performance/stability, UI/UX, lighting, and weapon feel."

The gaming community expressed their frustrations across social media platforms. Players described the beta build as "insanely clunky and clumsy," and an "unpolished, glitch-ridden, vomit-inducing wreck." A notable critique came from Reddit user Captain_Pugman on the game’s subreddit, who stated, "At what point did you forget what made Killing Floor special? Because right now, Killing Floor 3 looks like it’s trying to be everything except the one thing it should be: a Killing Floor game." Additional complaints focused on the game's shift towards a futuristic sci-fi theme, moving away from its traditional horror roots, and the inability to freely choose characters and classes separately due to character-locked classes during the beta.

Tripwire concluded their post with a message of optimism, stating, "We look forward to another opportunity to show you a more polished version of Killing Floor 3, and when we’re ready to share more details, you will be the first to know. Until then, we thank you for your continued patience and overwhelming support."

Pre-Orders Will Be Refunded Automatically Except For Steam

In response to the delay, Senior Community Manager Yoshiro took to the Tripwire Interactive Killing Floor 3 forums to outline the next steps for digital pre-orders. Once the delay is reflected across all platforms, the refund and cancellation processes will commence.

For users on PlayStation, Xbox, and the Epic Game Store, pre-orders will be automatically canceled and refunded without any action required from the user. However, PlayStation users in the United States will have the option to either cancel and receive a refund or maintain their pre-order for the new release date. If no action is taken within a specified timeframe, the pre-order will default to cancellation and refund.

Steam users, on the other hand, will need to manually initiate a refund by canceling their order and submitting a refund request through the Steam support system. Those who pre-ordered through third-party platforms or vendors not listed will need to coordinate directly with those entities, adhering to their respective refund policies.